See the issue here is that my congressman, your congressman (the government) doesn’t care that I want the law changed. He (or she) reports to the “plutocrats” and not the people. And the plutocrats don’t want the law changed.

And why should they? I can’t give them a million dollars or set-up a “super-pac” that will buy them re-election. They don’t work for me, they work for the rich that put them there.

This is not a democracy or a republic. It’s a government bought buy the rich for rich, a plutocracy.

And who’s fault is this? Well arguably my fellow citizens who are too ignorant, uninformed and well perhaps not smart enough to realize they’re being fooled.

They get all their information from TV commercials.

It’s, perhaps, the single biggest reason there’s an obesity epidemic in America – the TV tells you Burger King is good for you, and like lemmings they stuff their faces with “super-sized” burgers.

The same TV tells them Obama is a commie and Mitt Romney wants to kill the enemies of freedom…whatever that is (freedom)?

]]>By: paintcanhttp://blogs.reuters.com/chrystia-freeland/2012/01/26/kumbaya-capitalism-collides-with-self-interest/#comment-2522
Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:53:32 +0000http://blogs.reuters.com/chrystia-freeland/?p=1504#comment-2522It would help the consistency of Redisforfools argument if he would cite a few of the “pages of history” with which he claims he has such familiarity.

BTW – is the red in his name the old red or the new red?

]]>By: Ziptanghttp://blogs.reuters.com/chrystia-freeland/2012/01/26/kumbaya-capitalism-collides-with-self-interest/#comment-2521
Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:51:08 +0000http://blogs.reuters.com/chrystia-freeland/?p=1504#comment-2521Excellent post, RedIsForFools. Instead of helping themselves by initiating social change and pushing it to conclusion, people want government to save them. Frankly, what we should be discussing is how to make government even smaller so that we can lower taxes for everyone — yes, including the rich. I would be much happier in a society where no one paid more than 10% in taxes and we made government fit that revenue.
]]>By: RedIsForFoolshttp://blogs.reuters.com/chrystia-freeland/2012/01/26/kumbaya-capitalism-collides-with-self-interest/#comment-2520
Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:10:00 +0000http://blogs.reuters.com/chrystia-freeland/?p=1504#comment-2520Never in my life have I read or heard so much socialist claptrap as the comments on this article. The article is fine but the comments are absurd.
References to hypocrisy are rife, but don’t target the real example. If Soros and Buffet really don’t think they pay enough taxes why don’t they just stoke a check. Talk is cheap, put your money where your mouth is.
As for the rest, how many times, in how many places do such Marxist ideas as proposed by BidnisMan have to be be tried? The pages of history and today’s newspapers are plastered with the abject failure of such policies. No matter how good such ideas may sound to some, they simply do not work in the real world. If you really want to influence corporate pay, lead a boycott, start a petition or do do something yourself. Too often the only solution anyone wants to see is an expansion of the State. Government never has been and never will be the answer. More often than not government is the problem.
]]>By: basilbeshkovhttp://blogs.reuters.com/chrystia-freeland/2012/01/26/kumbaya-capitalism-collides-with-self-interest/#comment-2518
Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:17:47 +0000http://blogs.reuters.com/chrystia-freeland/?p=1504#comment-2518News Flash:
Vested interest drags its feet as reform marches on. Rich individuals insist that they will be less rich if they pay more tax. Democrats wonder why they aren’t more popular at nice parties. Obama searches for sugar to accompany economic medicine. Can only find saccharin derived from drilling coal tar deposits.
]]>By: reuters55http://blogs.reuters.com/chrystia-freeland/2012/01/26/kumbaya-capitalism-collides-with-self-interest/#comment-2517
Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:52:43 +0000http://blogs.reuters.com/chrystia-freeland/?p=1504#comment-2517The simple facts…..Capitalism promulgated slavery before and after the revolution, Paired with Party Politics sparked the Civil War then put it down, Killed almost all the Buffalo then the Indians taking their land (most times twice), then built the country west adding states through promise and intimidation of territories then delivering multiple recessions/depressions through graft and corruption, introducing “fuzzy money” by cornering all the gold and silver and then empowering a centralized Washington DC when it busts then filling it with lawyers to work with accountants and the corporations to cheer-lead us all to out source to a “World Free Market” and then remind us all that Capitalism is a good thing.

Any body want to discuss that maybe… just maybe the track record of Capitalism combined with Politics LESS morality is a dangerous combination?

]]>By: TheDaggerhttp://blogs.reuters.com/chrystia-freeland/2012/01/26/kumbaya-capitalism-collides-with-self-interest/#comment-2516
Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:14:47 +0000http://blogs.reuters.com/chrystia-freeland/?p=1504#comment-2516Just an observation:
Hardcore capitalists say we should all act in our own best interest, and everything will balance out for the best of the economy. But I notice that these people are usually the very wealthiest. The fact is, if we all do what’s in our best interest, then the 99% of us ought to seize all the stuff from the 1% of you and divvy it up among ourselves.

Just sayin’….

]]>By: Upwordshttp://blogs.reuters.com/chrystia-freeland/2012/01/26/kumbaya-capitalism-collides-with-self-interest/#comment-2515
Sun, 29 Jan 2012 21:25:05 +0000http://blogs.reuters.com/chrystia-freeland/?p=1504#comment-2515One of the issues for those of us in the middle income areas is paying for your everyday expenses. For example, increases in paying for gasoline, groceries, clothes, and other items cuts into discretionary income. I strongly believe one of the issues is the increase in living expenses has kept the recovery from taking hold. Inflation is a tax as much as increase in tax rates. Think about this for taxes: Are you more likely to spend money knowing the tax rate is 15% or when it’s over 20%? You might find ways to legally shelter it at over 20%. Thank you all.
]]>By: carnivorehttp://blogs.reuters.com/chrystia-freeland/2012/01/26/kumbaya-capitalism-collides-with-self-interest/#comment-2514
Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:53:08 +0000http://blogs.reuters.com/chrystia-freeland/?p=1504#comment-2514Capitalism does not collide with self-interest in the long run, it was never meant to be a get rich quick scheme. HOwever, if you have a great or some great ideas, yeah you should get paid for them. We have not had capitalism in this country for 40 years or so. If people make a liveable wage, they will spend more money, and therefore help the economy.
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